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Warm
Plan B
It’s a super time for a bowl of soup
Iditarod considers route change
Food/B-1
Sports/A-10
CLARION
Mostly sunny 21/8 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 95
Question Which team do you think will win the Super Bowl? n The Seattle Seahawks n The New England Patriots To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com.
In the news
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Board of Fisheries gets filleted Board chair Johnstone resigns; governor appoints Maw By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
Alaska Board of Fisheries Chairman Karl Johnstone resigned Tuesday, and a longtime Cook Inlet commercial fisheries advocate has been nominated to replace him. Gov. Bill Walker named Roland Maw, of Kasilof, to the fish board after calling Johnstone to express his disappointment
with the board’s lack of public process during a recent meeting to vet candidates for commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, according to documents released by Walker’s administration. Johnstone’s resignation is effective Jan. 27. If confirmed by the Legislature, Maw’s term will end in 2018. Maw would be the first Cook Inlet commercial fisherman to serve on the
board since 1980. Walker asked for Johnstone’s resignation after a joint Board of Fisheries and Board of Game meeting during which members were supposed to select candidates for the Fish and Game commissioner. The boards were to forward a list of qualified candidates to the governor to select from for the position. The boards had five candi-
Chairman Karl Johnstone, center, runs a Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting at Centennial Hall in October. Photo by Michael Penn/ Juneau Empire
See FISH, page A-12
Old law back in effect
Plaintiffs say state fell short in outreach to Native voters
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JUNEAU (AP) — Plaintiffs in a voting rights lawsuit say the state fell short in providing outreach and ballot information to Alaska Native voters with limited English ahead of the November elections. Plaintiffs’ attorneys say while the state attempted to translate more documents than they had previously, there has been no change in the state’s approach to language assistance. They say there were no outreach workers available in 40 percent of Native villages in the three affected census areas. They say pre-election radio announcements were made in less than half the villages in the census areas. The filing comes as the two sides seek a possible settlement. A federal judge last September ordered the state take additional steps to provide voting materials to limited English-speaking Native voters ahead of the elections.
Inside The issues we face as Alaskans are significant, and they are likely to be historymaking.’ ... See page A-5
‘We think 88 percent voluntarily agreements in the last two years is a substantial success.’ ... See page A-6
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1908 act provides funds for forest communities By IAN FOLEY Peninsula Clarion
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
President Barack Obama is greeted on Capitol Hill in Washington Tuesday before his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress.
Obama unveils ambitious agenda Taxes on the wealthy, help for middle class outlined in speech By JULIE PACE AP White House Correspondent
WASHINGTON — Refusing to bend to the new Republican Congress, President Barack Obama unveiled Tuesday night an ambitious State of the Union agenda steeped in Democratic priorities, including tax increases on the wealthy, education and child care help for the middle class and a torrent of veto threats for the GOP’s own plans. In a shift from tradition, Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress was less a laundry list of new proposals and more an attempt to sell a story of a national economy emerging from the
“shadow of crisis.” He appealed for “better politics” in Washington and pledged to work with Republicans, but he showed few signs of curtailing or tweaking his own plans to meet the GOP’s platform. Instead, the president vowed to use his veto pen to strike down the Republican leadership’s efforts to dismantle his signature accomplishments, including his health care and financial reform laws. “We can’t put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street or refighting past battles on immigration when we’ve got a system to fix,” Obama said in his hour-long address. “And if a bill comes to my desk that tries
to do any of these things, I will veto it.” The president sought out more common ground on foreign policy, pledging to work with Congress on a new authorization for military action against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, as well as legislation to guard against cyberattacks. In a rare move away from his own party, Obama also renewed his call for fast-tracking free trade agreements with Asia and Europe, generating more applause from pro-trade Republicans than skeptical Democrats. Obama’s address marked the first time in his presidency that he stood before a Republican-controlled Congress. Yet the See UNION, page A-12
Alaska’s already tight budget is set to get a little snugger for some communities dependent on national forests. At the end of last year, Congress failed to renew Secure Rural Schools funding, which had provided states and territories roughly $330 million annually. SRS funding was intended to offset the lack of funds received by communities dependent on income from national forests. According the Forest Service, between 80-85 percent of the SRS money each community received was used to help fund rural schools and roads, while the remaining money could be used toward special projects on federal land and county funds. Because SRS funding failed to pass, many states, including Alaska, will now receive money from the Twenty-Five Percent Fund Act of 1908, which had previously provided communities with a portion of 25 percent of the proceeds earned by national forests, before states started receiving SRS money. The need for funding is partly a result of local governments and communities being prohibited from collecting taxes on federal land. See FUNDS, page A-5
Liquor license protests Superintendent search underway lodged over unpaid taxes Depending on the pools and appoints all school disBy DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Three central Kenai Peninsula businesses are delinquent in paying taxes to the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the assembly on Tuesday approved an ordinance protesting a continuance of each establishment’s liquor license. Kenai’s Alaska Lanes and Little Ski Mo Drive In and the Copper Top Lounge in Soldotna are among five businesses under scrutiny for unpaid taxes. A sixth business was removed from consideration after bringing its tax delinquencies into compliance with borough code prior to Tuesday’s assembly
meeting, according to a memo from the borough finance department. Hooligans Lodging & Saloon Copper Top Lounge owes the most among the five businesses, with more than $41,000 in sales taxes due, according to a memo through borough Finance Director Craig Chapman. Hooligan’s owner Molly Blakeley-Poland said she is working on a payment plan and declined to comment on any details. Little Ski-Mo Drive In and Alaska Lanes have both been listed for sale. Mike Lott, owner of Ski-Mo Drive In said the
By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
The search for the next Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent has begun. The application period opened Friday, and will close Feb. 16. The school district will be making the first announcement today, said school district spokeswoman Pegge Erkeneff. “The Board of Education is responsible for hiring the superintendent, and human resources is responsible for the position posting,” Erkeneff said. “The search will be advertised nationally.”
See TAXES, page A-12 C
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of applications received, the school board will narrow down a list to interview between three and five candidates, Erkeneff said. The proceedings will be open the public, she said. The job description is determined by school district policy, and can be found within the policy manual. Qualifications require the applicant have a valid Alaska teaching and administrative certificate, a master’s degree with specializations, which are listed in the manual, and at least five years experience as a school administrator. The superintendent selects
trict employees serving under him or herself, which are subject to approval of the school board, according to school district policy. Desired qualities listed on the job advertisement include: experience and knowledge of the state, ability to work with the school board, ability to identify and select administrators, and advocate with legislators. The salary will be between $140,000 and $165,000 annually, according to the advertisement. The superintendent will receive a comprehensive benefits package, which will See SEARCH, page A-5